Financial Aid

Don’t let the high price of college prevent you from attending! Numerous types of financial assistance for college exist and you probably qualify for many of them. On Point for College Advisors are trained in financial aid and can assist you with every step of the process.

As a starting point, all On Point students must complete and file a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year that they intend to attend or stay in school in order to receive financial aid.

Students planning to attend/attending school in New York State must also complete and file applications for New York State funding each year. Full-time students should apply for the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), while part-time students should apply for New York State Aid for Part-time Study (APTS).

For our advisors to assist you in completing the FAFSA and TAP (if applicable) or APTS (if applicable) forms as well as any other documents required by your school, you will need to provide the below information and documents. Note that the parent/guardian whose information is provided should be the person who is financially responsible for the student. If the student is fully financially responsible for themselves (i.e., independent as defined by the federal government), they can omit the parent/guardian information.

Social Security Numbers for both the student and one parent/guardian (if applicable)

Dates of Birth for both the student and one parent/guardian (if applicable)

An FSA ID for both the student and one parent/guardian (if applicable). Note that students and parents/guardians will continue to use their same FSA IDs throughout the student’s college career.

A TAP user name and PIN for students attending school full-time in NYS only. Note that students will use the same TAP user name and PIN throughout their college career.

Access to the IRS data retrieval tool for both the student and parent/guardian or copies of the student and parent/guardian’s state and federal tax returns for the year prior (i.e., if you’re applying for aid in 2016, you should provide copies of tax returns from 2015).

Types of Financial Aid:

There are many types of financial aid available. Among the most common types of aid are grants, scholarships, loans, and the federal work-study program. The single largest provider of financial aid funding in the United States is the federal government which backs many grants and loans. States, nonprofit organizations, and individual colleges and universities are also frequent sources of grant and scholarship funding.

Grants and Scholarships are money which is given to students and does not have to be paid back. However, they may require students to maintain a specific grade-point average, a certain number of credits, or adhere to another criteria specified by the organization awarding the money.

Education Opportunity Program (EOP) for public colleges and universities / Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) for private colleges and universities – students apply through the school they attend

Grants and/or Scholarships awarded by the student’s college or university

Loans are money which is leant to the student and/or parent/guardian and must be paid back over time with interest. Most loans are funded by the federal government, but will be issued by a bank. Some loans may require that a student maintain a certain number of credit hours (i.e., be enrolled full-time), but in general, loans have fewer restrictions than grants and scholarships.

The Federal Work-Study Program is a federally funded program that provides part-time employment for students while they are enrolled in school to help defray the cost of educational expenses. The program is available to both full and part-time undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who demonstrate financial need. Participating colleges and universities administer their own work-study funding through their financial aid offices.